


The Committal

by alchemie_and_physik07 (The_Lynel_Reborn), The_Lynel_Reborn



Category: Septimus Heap - Fandom
Genre: Apprenticeship, Committal, Gen, House of Foryx, Septimus has never had watermelons, Timeline rewrite, fyre - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 08:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26469829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lynel_Reborn/pseuds/alchemie_and_physik07, https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lynel_Reborn/pseuds/The_Lynel_Reborn
Summary: What would happen if someone was behind every peril Septimus ever faced, and he did the Committal at the end of Fyre instead of Jenna? What if he's offered a chance to learn even more powerful Magyk from long ago? Will he leave his old life for the chance to learn forgotten Magyk secrets?
Kudos: 3





	1. He Had Always Seen It Coming

I should have known someone was watching me. In truth, I had known long before that day. The infamous day when he gave me the full spell for the Committal. A brush against me in the anteroom, a person cloaked in a dark green cloak trimmed with silver flames that no one else noticed. Who told me to do it; that the full spell had long since been lost, that it would be more effective if someone Magykal did it. I believed him, and he wasn't wrong.But aiding our plight wasn't the only reason he said it. It was a test, a trial- the last one intended for me, before he decided if I was worthy or not. He had been behind so many of my problems from day one. Of course, he had no way of knowing I would end up in the Young Army-so he tells me. But he was the puppetmaster behind our washing up on the isles of Syren, behind even the loosing of Queen Etheldredda. All to test me to see if I was worthy of leaning the ancient Magyk from the Beyond Times.  
The first time I met him-per se-was when I was eight, trapped in a wolverine pit. There was no one around to save me; even if there had been they likely would have left me to my own devices. We were Expendables and no one really cared. I lay in the pit, expecting the worst, when there was a flash of green Fyre through the trees. It struck one of the wolverines, and there was an acrid smell of burning flesh. I pushed myself further against the trunk of a tree, fearing the worst. Then we were trained to hate anything to do with Magyk, and I wasn't taking any chances with this explosive kind. More flashes surrounded the clearing, and next thing I knew, six wolverines lay dead around me, singed beyond repair. Through a gap in the trees there was a shadowy figure, slowly moving towards me. I tensed, getting ready to run in case he started flinging Fyre again. He didn't, however, as he continued his walk. Soon he was right in front of me, in a cloak that appeared dark green with some shiny trim in a pattern undistinguishable in the long failed light, with a large hood pulled over his face so that I couldn't see it at all. What's more, he was holding out his hand. To me, almost as if he was trying to help me up. The hand was gloved, and thin with spidery fingers. They appeared black in the gloom punctuated with white embroidery of some pattern that resembled waves. I hesitated, worrying he'd relinquish his hand and lob a ball of Fyre at me. However, out of nowhere I felt a reassuring feeling that couldn't have come from my hyperactive mind, almost as if something-or someone-was telling me that it was okay, that this person was trying to help me. I reached for his hand, and had almost taken it when the sound of a patrol of other Expendables broke through the trees, their lanterns bobbing towards me. In that short span of time, the person had vanished without a trace.  
I wouldn't see him again for two years.  
I was lost in the haar at Aunt Zelda's cottage. I hardly knew the place and was hopelessly lost. I was about to sit down and wait for the haar to pass when a cloaked figure came up to me in the mist. I recognized the cloak, and now I could see the silver embroidery was of flames. He didn't hold out his hand this time; instead, he moved over to a small wooden board in the ground. He set a silver-capped black leather toe on it and tapped it. The meaning was clear-he wanted me to open it. I moved over to it, lifted the board. When I fell inside a hole moments later, he was nowhere to be seen. Again. Though it would be a time before we interacted in this manner again, I saw the corner of his cloak twice on the Vengeance, and I could have sworn his reflection was in the duck pond at least once while Aunt Zelda was scrying.  
I saw him in the Ice Tunnels the following year. Several times. Little did I know he had helped Simon in his plot; little did I know he was intending to have me prove my mettle, Magykal and otherwise. And I most certainly did not know he was behind the opening of the door in the Queen's Room. He managed to gloss over this part for many years.

I sat on the beach. I remember it vividly. The night was cold, and I was alone, watching Spit Fyre. Or at least I thought I was alone. I stared at the stars in the sky, with a soft longing. The cold wind rustled through my hair, and made me shiver slightly. I was too occupied with my dreamings of stars to notice the soft sigh of a cloak behind me. The cloaked person brushed up next to me, and sat cross-legged in the soft sand. My stomach lurched, and tension gathered in my legs, ready to spring up, run away. But once again I felt that feeling in my mind, a feeling of comfort. It was a gentle calming feeling that I had all but forgot about in my desire to forget about that night in the wolverine pit. “I thought you were a hallucination,’’ I said quietly to the figure. The figure snorted, but didn’t say anything. He pulled out a gloved hand and ruffled my hair, scrubbed it. I tried to get a peek inside the cloak, but it was black. The sand crunched in the distance and two figures worked their way towards me. Jenna and Beetle. I looked back at the figure, but he had vanished again.


	2. Committing the Ring Wizards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Jenna to commit the Ring Wizards-but will someone else beat her to it?

The cloak brushed mine as the others were debating the Committal. Jenna was busy writing it down, and Marcellus and Julius were reconciling...I had been watching until a hand pulled me into the corner. And no one seemed to notice.  
"Why would you let them do it?" the person's voice asked. I could not make out whether it was a man or a woman speaking; the voice was like a sweet shore breeze but at the end of the sentence it gained a hard edge, almost like an unexpected bone in a piece of meat, but somewhat pleasant. The voice was shockingly wonderful to listen to. "Would you let a person with no Magykal ability to do it? For everyone's fate to rest on this surely weak attempt?" The voice made a valid point. I stared at Jenna copying down the spell. Why shouldn't I do it? I wondered. The voice wormed into my brain, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was true. "And what's to say you even have the whole spell?" The person mused. "What's to say that they're not missing a word that will make it more potent? I know the whole spell. If you do it, I can tell you as you cast the spell. Word for word. Leaving no word behind." I stared up into his cloak. The glory had been suggested, and I couldn't unthink it. I'd be known as the one who Committed the Ring Wizards. Properly.It was like an insatiable urge, one I couldn't quell. One I knew I'd have to fulfill. I was so compelled...He handed me the ring, lying in the palm of his black gloved hand. I took it, the idea of doing the spell engrained in my mind. "I will tell you the spell when the time comes." The soft voice uttered, then faded.We had just taken the elevator down to the Fyre chamber, and I had planned it perfectly. When Beetle proclaimed he would go, I interjected. "I'll go too."  
Marcia objected, of course. Said that the more of us went, the more dangerous it would be. But I couldn't shake the idea, like it had been implanted in my head. I couldn't get it out. "Whatever you say, Marcia, I'm coming." Whoever that person I kept seeing was, they were right. I had to do this myself.  
I didn't say anything about how the ring Jenna carried wouldn't work, that I had the real one. They'd just make me give it to her, and questions would rise. I could not allow that, for a reason I felt in my bones rather than knew.  
Jenna straightened and denied us all, like a Queen. I would not listen. I would deny her. "I am doing the Committal. The fewer people in danger, the better. Marcia and I will go, no one else." They exchanged looks. I felt rage boiling inside me, but also felt a soft, unspoken word in my head.Go anyway.Marcia drew out the ring, handed it to Jenna. There were tearful apologies between her and Beetle, and she went down the walkway.Marcia was Shielding her. They crept up on the Ring Wizards, and I followed. Milo and Beetle were too busy consoling each other, and Marcellus too busy consoling them in turn. No one noticed that I followed them.I heard Jenna say she was ready. As Marcia pulled down the Shield, I ran between them like I was possessed. Perhaps I was. All I knew was, that if I did the Committal now, I would fulfill something. I didn't know what, but I knew that if I did it right now, I would be finishing something. Something.I pushed Jenna aside. "I will do the Committal!" I screamed. Marcia stared at me, aghast. Before she could push me aside, however, I felt the words appear in my mind for the first line. The cloaked figure's doing, no doubt. And I started to speak, saying the words in order as I was taught them, with Marcia there, stricken by her Apprentice's boldness at rejecting their plan, Jenna staring at me with horror at her brother stealing her moment. I didn't notice, didn't care. I was focused utmost on what the figure was telling me, and when I finished the spell, and Milo caught the ring-  
-there was utter silence.  
I half wondered why I'd done it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks for reading my wacky story idea! Updates will probably not be this regular usually, I'm just posting more right now while I get used to the site.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally all this skulking the hooded figure has done is coming to a head-Septimus needs to make a decision.

I left the House of Foryx dazed, blinking in the sun, blinking at the date written in the snow. I didn't realize right away that someone else was there.It was the cloaked figure, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the Dragon Boat's pool. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I knew he was watching me.  
"Congratulations. I honestly doubted you would do it.""Do what?" I asked, puzzled and slightly irate."Steal the Committal from your sister.""Did you know that Hotep-Ra said he never wrote down that line?" I was livid. Marcia had exploded at me for jeopardizing the fate of the whole Castle and as I saw it, this person was entirely responsible.  
"He never did. Had he known as much about the murky realms of Magyk as I do, he might have. But I figured that we might as well go for broke."  
Did he still think he’d done me a favour? My entire family hated me after what I’d done.  
”I haven't gotten any glory. All I've gotten are Marcia Overstrand's lectures about my endangering the Castle."  
"It was your final trial, Septimus. And you passed with flying colours. I've been watching you, trying to decide whether or not you were up to the task. After all, it's not every day you meet a seventh son of a seventh son, and I dearly hoped you would be able to pass."  
"Pass?" I asked, incredulous. Who was this to say it was all a trial? All the problems the Castle had been through and he acted as though it was just a test?"Pass," the cloaked figure replied calmly. "I had to be sure you were worthy, and you've proven yourself tenfold. You truly are a brilliant Wizard, and I think you'd be ready to take the next step. If you wished it." "The next step is ExtraOrdinary Wizard," I said coldly. I knew it was true. I had just seen myself in the House of Foryx in the future, garbed in purple! How could that not be the next step?  
"Perhaps. If you choose that path. But that's not the only possibility. You think all of the secrets of Magyk are inside the Wizard Tower. But they're not. Years ago there were a different sort of Wizards roaming the land in secret, with far more Magyk inside one of them than half of today's Wizard Tower."  
"What is the other option?" I couldn't help being curious. All the knowledge he was mentioning-supposedly lost-was enticing, and he knew it."Give up your apprenticeship with Madam Overstrand. Give up your life at the Castle, and come to live and learn with me as my Apprentice. It will take much longer, but the rewards will be sweeter."My mouth gaped. Was that what he was expecting me to do? Leave my family and my future for some old musty Magyk secrets? Though try as I might to deny it, it was enticing. Ancient forgotten Magyk. But the price! "If you commit yourself, you will outlast all of them," he said softly. He flicked his hand and a green glow hovered over his left hand, with the silhouette of a bird inside. I got the message-a bird, a chance to fly free, away from the restrictions otherwise in my future. But it was inside a window-did I have the nerve to do it? I could see it, but would I reach out and take it?"Why should I go with you? I hardly know you." I tested the waters. As much as I owed him for saving my life in the Young Army, I really didn't know him. I couldn't go with him. "We are very different in many ways," he said slowly, enunciating so that his voice rang clearly through the courtyard, every word as defined and sharp as a gong. "Yet in many ways we are also alike. Children with hidden identities, albeit for different reasons. Children wonderfully gifted, yet feared by those we threatened to overthrow. We are both the seventh child of our fathers, as such blessed with such wonderful power our mothers sought to remark upon it when naming us. However, being different from your Apprentice is not a bad thing. It is a chance to learn, and after almost ten thousand years, I still find myself learning."  
I stared at him. All that had really registered of his speech was his announcement of ten thousand years. Was he really that old? How could anyone be, if they were not tied to the House of Foryx? "I lay my choice in front of you once more. Stay in the Castle and you will become ExtraOrdinary Wizard one day-mark my words. Or, take advantage of my offer-live with me and study the true Magyk, unlock long-even eternal-life, and ascend to the full zenith of your power. A hefty reward, perhaps, but you've earned it. You've passed all my prerequisite trials."  
My mind raced. As if the person knew I was conflicted, he added:"I will give you twenty-four hours of decisive time to spend as you wish- here, at my residence, at the Castle-not that the Dragon Boat will necessarily get you there in time. If you accept my offer, with time you will learn how to travel to anyplace you have set foot before, however far away."  
I had burned twelve hours of time already, my mind racing. Knowledge! But look what had happened when I seized it and was sent back five hundred years. Was that the cloaked figure's doing? The figure in question still sat in the same place, watching me pace. Somehow I knew he heard every one of my silent musings.  
Leaving my family. After only knowing them for five years. But to increase my Magykal skill-I couldn't help but be longing for it, in my mind. It was there the entire time, my love of Magyk, my wish to learn more, the desire to be one with it-but how it would tear up Mum. Whenever my thoughts leaned in favour of the cloaked figure, I pictured her face, from the night when I first knew who I really was. It usually stopped it, but not for long. Within five minutes I found myself longing for Magyk again, the figure winning. But I wanted to be ExtraOrdinary Wizard, didn't I? That was the height of Magykal power, wasn't it? But what if it wasn't? What if-  
I wouldn't leave my family. But then Jenna's furious face swam in my mind. She was seething after the Committal, and she had sworn to not forgive or forget. My parents were ashamed. Perhaps there was less to go back to than I thought. Would it be worth it to work through the reputation I had garnered? Wouldn't it be easier to start over? Perhaps that was why he had made me do the Committal. To create friction, to give me less reasons to stay. I would not give him what he wanted.  
Another thought occurred to me. I never really felt quite like I fit in with my family anyway. Perhaps the Committal estranged me more than before, but I had never really been included. Not by my parents’ fault; they tried, I know, but I was always just a little…different. Perhaps I’d fit in more with this person? But they’re my family-  
But he had saved my life. Nearly cost me it several times it was true, but he saved it. Twice, I thought, remembering seeing him save me from the Tollman at the House of Foryx. And who knows how many other times that I just didn't see him? I mused. But he put me in those situations. Didn't he? Ancient Magyk. I tried to dismiss the thought, but it came stronger than ever. The knowledge was so tantalizing. I wanted it. I had not met my parents for an extended period before. I could do it for Magyk. Couldn't I? But I'd be letting Marcia down. Whatever she said, she intended me to be her successor. Would the Castle survive my absence?  
I looked at the hooded figure and my resolve hardened.I would choose his Magyk. I would not let this opportunity slip past my fingers. I knew he knew the minute I reached my decision. The minute he had won.  
I walked slowly towards him, my resolve rock-hard. I would go with him. The figure got up. "I knew you'd make the right choice in the end." I gulped. Was it the right choice? I was suddenly plagued with self-doubt. As if the figure knew my sudden doubt (which of course he did), he spoke up.  
"Whatever choice you made would've been the right choice. I wasn't manipulating you. I let you decide yourself." This statement struck me. Did that mean he had manipulated me before? Was that why I had been so compelled to do the Committal? When had my will actually been my own?  
If the figure had heard my thoughts, he gave no sign of it. He walked until he was only a pace in front of me.  
"If that is all, and you truly wish to follow me, I will take you to my home and we can have your Apprentice Supper-that is the tradition, is it not? I will take you, but first, perhaps we should shake hands and you should maybe state your intent."  
I saw him pull out a black gloved hand, and pull the glove off, revealing a thin, spidery pale hand, with a dragon’s head burned into it just past the wrist, the rest of its body twining away, presumably down his arm. When the pale hand had last seen the light of the Sun I was seriously questioning. He held out his right hand. I clutched mine tightly under my green cloak, having second thoughts.  
"It's not too late to have second thoughts," he-the figure-said softly. "Shaking my hand could be considered the dropoff, and the Supper that waits to be assembled at home could be considered the point of no return. You haven't been initiated yet. You can still refuse." I got annoyed at this. He was suggesting that I was a coward, that I didn't have the nerve to go through with it. I was so annoyed that I stuck my right hand out and grabbed his-which was shockingly warm, almost hot-and shook. "I consent to become your Apprentice." After our hands broke, I wondered what I had done. I pictured Mum's face again and felt on the verge of tears. What had I done? "Grab my arm. I will take you to my home." I consented, figuring that the damage was already done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is totally crazy, I know. But we know Sep doesn't feel all that comfortable with his family...maybe he would leave it?
> 
> Make sure to let me know if you like this insane brainchild of mine. There's a couple of other takes on this concept I've been working on, so maybe this'll be part of a series!
> 
> BTW, Strider is NOT ten thousand years old. At this point he's only around three thousand...he can't be bothered to remember, and wouldn't be able to anyway.
> 
> Also, Strider's dragons are a reference to Rand al'Thor's tattoos from The Wheel of Time. If you're interested, you can look it up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Septimus has an Apprentice Supper...again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story! Septimus is hands-down my favourite character (though I also love Marcia) and I feel he should have some more love. Also, creating this timeline divergence was really fun! Let me know what you think so far!

Next thing I knew, I felt a twisting sensation in my stomach and I found myself in front of a stone cottage half built into a hill, and I was ready to vomit. "It gets better with time," the cloaked figure remarked dryly as I doubled over in nausea.   
He led me staggering into the house, which was surprisingly cozy on the inside-a few tapestries hung on the walls, there were round windows with yellowed glass. We ended up in the kitchen, with polished wooden countertops laid out with poultry thighs and rice-the beginnings of my second Apprentice Supper. The rice was steaming on the stove when I first regained enough control of my stomach to desire speaking.   
"So...if I'm going to be your Apprentice, should I know your name?" The person barked a laugh. I was tired of calling him "the person" or "the figure," and I wanted to know his name.   
"During this relationship, you may want to call me Strider." His voice hinted at a smile. "We can work up to real names, can't we? Besides, Strider is the name I give in this realm. It is the name you may know me by."   
Why can't I know his real name? I wondered.   
Sitting on a wooden stool watching Strider add part of a jar of spice into the meal, I recalled something he had told me. 'Both of our mothers sought to remark upon it in naming us.' He had been talking about how we were both the seventh child of their fathers. If he was ten thousand years old, the other six were probably long gone, but I still wondered what he had been hinting at. Was his name Septimus too?   
Ten minutes later, I had forgotten my musings for the present time and was focusing on how I had not eaten more than some trail rations for twelve hours. My hunger was staggering, and the chicken curry Strider had cooked looked delicious.   
"This is your last chance," Strider said as he pulled off his cloak. Underneath he was surprisingly lean and fit looking for his age (assuming I was correct in my assumption), with smooth skin that looked like it had not seen sun for a very long time appearing rather a shade of ivory, and raven black hair pulled into a low bun with not a hint of gray or white, and Magykal green eyes, though of a shade I'd never seen before that suggested his irises could have been cut jades, dancing with golden flecks, framed with long black eyelashes and arched with thin pointy eyebrows, which seemed to portray a look of amusement. If I hadn't known or suspected otherwise, I'd have said he was twenty. I also noticed his arms looked rather skinny compared to, say, a dockworker. I seriously doubted he knew much menial labour.   
As I took all this in, I noticed his tongue wrapped around one of his canine teeth, seemingly a subconscious habit.   
"I don't always wear my cloak indoors," he said softly, with a teasing tone in his voice. He sat down across from me and picked up a silver fork.   
"If you don't want to eat, you can just tell me," he went on, piercing me in the eye. He knew I had surrendered. I didn't bother telling him that; I just picked up my fork and started to eat. It was quite wonderful, creamy and rich with spices. I'd never tasted the like before. My plate was cleared in five minutes. I hadn't realized how little I'd eaten- virtually nothing since my breakfast with Hotep-Ra-and Strider seemed an exceptional cook. For dessert he brought out some fresh fruit of a variety I had never seen or tasted (he'd later tell me they were watermelons), and by the end of the meal I was regretting my decision a little less. Strider seemed amicable, with a slight teasing air. He also seemed very knowledgeable, and promised that once my Apprenticeship with Marcia had been properly annulled, we'd begin the training with due haste, though he claimed it might take longer since I'd have to relearn various concepts because of how I'd learned them. He didn't call Marcia's way "the wrong way," but it seemed implied.   
  
After dinner, he brought out an old silk satchel from his room. Inside was a token of my Apprenticeship, he said, and he had had it for years and never had an Apprentice to give it to.It was a necklace, a small choker band woven in black and red silk (Alchemie colours, I thought to myself) with white pearl beads imbedded in it. Dangling from it was an upside-down teardrop carved out of smooth black stone that Strider insisted was a symbol of male magic in another realm, and that the only other Apprentice he had ever had had been a girl, so she had not recieved it. It was a little flashy for my liking, but I didn't want to anger Strider-I still remembered the Fyre in the wolverine pit-so I put it on, and found it fit surprisingly comfortably. Though it may not have been my style, it was a token of Apprenticeship and I appreciated it.   
Strider seemed to know I was exhausted before I did, and he led me to a somewhat small but very cozy room with a wooden bed piled with a lush quilt, and a lantern that buzzed with a golden light with seemingly no flame. He set me to bed and told me that in the morning I would dress in the clothes that would replace my Apprentice tunic, and we'd start our journey to the Castle to speak with Marcia. When I pointed out that he could just take us there in five seconds, he gave me a little sideways smirk and said that sometimes it is more enjoyable to travel places the traditional way. He also added, before he closed the door, that he didn't want me getting sick on my former mentor's fancy purple ExtraOrdinary Wizard robes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we are! Home stretch! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> The necklace that Strider gives Septimus is actually representing a symbol called the Dragon's Fang from the Wheel of Time books; it stands for the male half of magic in the books, saidin. I just thought I should mention that...


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later we rode into the Castle as the sun was setting. Strider rode ahead on a chestnut brown mare named Raido, an orange cloak with white reeds embroidered on it streaming behind him.Strider had fixed up my boots when I had refused to accept new ones (I figured I'd wear these until I outgrew them), and he had given me new fresh clothes to wear-a soft cotton undershirt with a terra-cotta coloured leather vest overtop of it, loose white cotton pants, and a beautiful creamy white cloak patterned with green ferns that he had gotten in another country on his travels. Underneath me was the piebald mare Quince, who was surprisingly gentle. This was good, because she was the first horse I'd ever ridden.  
The morning after the Supper, Strider had given me a Magykal mark on my left arm to denote my experience and what "element" I was (which he said was an old categorization from when there were enough Wizards to go to school together, but it didn't mean a whole lot nowadays), a stylized gust of wind with one hollow circle beneath it, denoting that I had started my first year of training. He had told me that it would take twenty-four years to be a full Wizard, when the training mark would be replaced by a mage's true mark. He intended me to ascend to immortality one day too, but assured me it would be "a long age before you're even within shouting distance."  
We pulled up to the gate, and we were let through; Gringe knew me(for better or for worse), and Strider wouldn't take no for an answer. We set our horses in the stable and headed up Wizard Way. I kept my hood up, because I knew the fact that the ExtraOrdinary Appentice was missing would've spread quickly, and we wanted this to be as quiet an operation as possible. I looked around and once again felt a stab of regret at my decision. You've had the Supper and gotten marked. You have your Apprenticeship gift, I reminded myself, fingering the black pendant. There's no going back now. I don't know whether the thought thrilled me, terrified me, or depressed me.  
We reached the doors of the Wizard Tower. I spoke the password-I still knew it, and they hadn't changed it in case I came back-and we walked into the lobby. I breathed a little deeper. It felt good to be back, even if I wouldn't be again for a long time.  
Welcome, ExtraOrdinary Apprentice, the floor told me as it swirled around my boots. I felt a little flutter in my chest, a little rising panic realizing that when I came back down, it wouldn't say that any more. What would it say? Welcome, Former ExtraOrdinary Apprentice who walked out on the ExtraOrdinary Wizard? Welcome, Magykal Traitor? My mind raced ahead of my footsteps, panicking all the way up to the ExtraOrdinary's rooms while I was still in the lobby. Welcome, Froda Bjørnasen, the floor flashed around his feet. Whatever his real name was, the Tower didn't know it either. Though I didn’t know where the “Froda” came from. Something told me, though, that it definitely was not his real name.  
We stepped onto the staircase. My hood was still up, because I would still get a massive scolding from half the Tower after the Committal, and we were on a schedule. At least that's what Strider said. Though honestly, I didn't want to spend more time here than I had to. Once, the ExtraOrdinary Apprenticeship was all I had wanted, but now, I was rejecting it. I felt ungrateful. Marcia would need to find a new Apprentice, a new successor. I knew then that I didn't want to meet them. Not ever. How would the Castle history portray me? As the ExtraOrdinary Apprentice who stole the Queen Jenna's right to perform the spell then scarpered after the coronation? Would my name be reviled? Would they gloss it all over entirely?  
I had been so lost in my own thoughts that I hardly realized that Strider and I stood in front of the door to Marcia's rooms. What was I giving up?   
"There's no going back now." I don't know if Strider told me this or simply thought it, but I knew he was right. My time for doubts had passed.  
The door swung open. It still recognized me. Inside I found Marcia's things in a disarray. At the sound of the opening door, she came down the stairs and stared at me.   
"Septimus!" she cried, relieved. She rushed towards me, nearly tripped twice on a pillow from the couch, and was two feet away from me when she noticed Strider.   
"Who are you?" she asked hostilely, back to her usual manner. Her hands had stuck to her hips as if by magnetism, and she scowled fiercely at Strider.   
Already I missed her.   
"Madam Marcia. I come here regarding your former Apprentice's future," Strider said softly. He had his voice turned onto a mode where it was soft, soothing, and pleasant to hear, to the point of which someone could be so fixated on the tone they would not wholly notice what was being spoken. It almost worked on Marcia, but shortly after he had finished speaking she popped her eyes open and flung out a retort.   
"Former Apprentice? I don't know who you are, or what you think you're doing, but Septimus is still my Apprentice regardless of what happened with the Committal." "That's the catch. You see...outside the House of Foryx I gave him a simple choice. He could continue studying Magyk with you, or he could give the life up and come with me to study ancient Magyk from the Beyond Times, the sort forgotten by your kind eons ago. Simple in concept, but complicated in execution: I assure you that your dear Septimus took twelve and a half hours to figure out his answer."   
Strider smirked. He seemed to be enjoying breaking the news to Marcia somehow.   
"And rather unfortunately for you, Madam Overstrand, but very fortunately for me, he chose my path. Which means, Madam ExtraOrdinary Wizard, we come here to have his Apprenticeship with you annulled."   
The Madams were almost spat out.   
Marcia was floored at not only being told her Apprentice had chosen a new master (and a very rude and snarky one at that), but being addressed so matter-of-fact about it in her own quarters. Next thing she knew, all the other Apprentices would be bossing her around in bed.  
Marcia attempted a saucy, indignant comeback to match her reaction, but all she could do was stutter and splutter. I winced at seeing my beloved old mentor so helpless, and at how much my new one seemed to be enjoying this, but in a way the small, rebellious voice within the depths of my brain had a point. Strider is stronger than Marcia. You're better off with him.   
Strider continued.   
"Excellent. We'll just accept your revoking of his former title, then I promise you we'll be off and won't bother you again."   
He punctuated the word again, and I felt that part was for me. As if he was emphasizing the finality of these next few moments.   
"But how could you‽‽" Marcia near screamed. "Septimus is my Apprentice, not Marcellus', not yours, certainly not yours, we had an Apprentice Supper for him, he consented-"   
"I had an Apprentice Supper with Strider two days ago," I said softly. Marcia stared at me, scandalized. There was also hurt in her eyes. How could I do this to her? I wondered, not for the first time. She hadn't believed us before, not until I said it.   
"Septimus." Marcia's fury had left, and all that was left was a questioning- had I really?   
"He...offered me so much knowledge. I...just couldn't let it pass."   
"I thought you would have learned that lesson after you were stuck in another Time," she said to me, her voice cracking with hurt, "but to think you would actually-actually choose-" She broke off, looking at the floor with sorrow in her eyes. She might have actually been crying; I don't know. At any rate, I could feel what I had done to her. I also felt I shouldn't linger lest I be tempted to turn back. Instead, I quietly walked forward and handed her the bundle of my Apprentice tunic and my silver ExtraOrdinary Apprentice belt.   
Not mine any longer. They would be someone else's soon enough. Marcia silently took them.   
"I accepted his offer," I said quietly to her. I pulled back my sleeve and showed her my mark of his Apprenticeship, and looked her in the eye. "I'll be fine, Marcia. Someday you'll see me again, and I'll be even more Magykal. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but..." I trailed off, not knowing what else to say, whether to comfort her or not.   
"Oh, Septimus...I suppose in the end you'll make the right decision for yourself. But..why did it have to be this one?" She took a heaving breath, trying to constrain a sob. I smiled at her, then moved towards the door.  
"Don't forget to comb your hair." Marcia called after me, and I smiled.  
I didn't have the heart to say goodbye to my family. Especially not after seeing the floor of the Wizard Tower say, Farewell, Former ExtraOrdinary Apprentice.  
Over the next twenty-four years, I was retaught everything I ever knew about Magyk by Strider, when we discovered I had an aptitude for conjuring and healing; I was rather rubbish at all the mind manipulation and transfiguration that lay within Strider's domain. Strider himself became less a mystery. I learned a great deal about his past which I will not go into great detail about here, but one interesting thing I discovered was his real name, which was, like I had guessed, neither Strider nor Froda. Eventually I joined him on missions to other regions and realms, learned two new languages to communicate with their inhabitants, and was exposed to a wide variety of cultures so that when I finally got my permanent mark, a black Physik symbol, I felt my powers could do anything despite Strider's constant reminders that I had not achieved my full power yet and I was still learning.  
It turned out, I would always still be learning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!

**Author's Note:**

> so there we are! There's not enough Septimus fanfics out there, so here I go! This work's also on my Wattpad account. THIS STORY IS NOT FINISHED. There'll be around four parts remaining. Please hit the kudos button if you liked it; and comment to let me know! The Septimus Heap fandom is tiny so we might as well stay connected!


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